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Re: Did Lunacy really level the playing field?
I don't think the root cause for the gap between the successful and unsuccessful teams is the amount of resources (mentors, money, tools...), but a varying level of commitment. I think that some teams view FIRST has an 'after school activity,' rather than a 'varsity sport' or something more. Some teams don't go to offseason events, do demonstrations, try new drive systems in the fall, work 4+ days during build season. Their goals and expectations are drastically different than the 67s, 111s, 217s, 1114s. It is almost as if they are playing a completely different game. I think that it's important to remember that the people/teams that post here are no where near representative to all the teams in FIRST.
I think this level of commitment is the true cause for successful and unsuccessful teams. I think there is very little a game can do to 'level the playing field'. Even if you make a game where only kitbots can be made to push blocks into goals, some teams will spend 100x more time making the kitbot perfect, dreaming up and perfecting strategies, and practicing driving. Those teams that do this will do better than the teams that just build the kitbot in a day or two and practice an hour before the competition.
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